"Central Asian country bordered by China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Afghanistan. Present day Tajiks are descended from Iranian peoples inhabiting Central Asia since the 1st millenium BCE. They were included in the Persian empire and the empire of Alexander the Great. Islam came to the region in the 7th century CE from the Arabs, however their rule was weakened by tribal battles. The Tajiks then came under the rule of the Iranians, and later the Turks in 999 CE. By the 18th century, Tajiks were part of the Bukhara emirate, which after conquests became a Russian protectorate in 1868. After the Russian Revolution, a large portion of the Tajik population were included in the Turkestan Autonomous S.S.R., established in 1918. By 1920, the boundaries of the S.S.R. were extended to include most of present day Tajikistan. In 1924, the Tadzhik Autonomous S.S.R. was created as part of the Uzbek S.S.R, and within that lay another autonomous region, Gorno-Badakhshan. In 1929, the Tadzhik A.S.S.R. became a Soviet republic, and proceeded to industrialize. In 1991, the country gained independence and became Tajikistan, although since then has been plagued with civil strife from opposing communist, Islamic and democratic groups, leading to the displacement of more than a half million people."

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